Nahum Stetson (August 21, 1807 - October 6, 1894) was a leading businessman from southeastern
during the 19th century. He is best known for his role in establishing the
Bridgewater Iron Company as one of the largest iron works in the United States during the mid-1800s. Stetson was also involved in several other iron companies throughout the southeastern
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
region, as well as other notable businesses, including banks and railroads. His grandson, Nahum Stetson (1856-1933) was part of the
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to ...
piano company, as part of its sales team and board of directors.
Personal life
Nahum Stetson was born in 1807 to Captain Abisha Stetson and Alice (Allen) Stetson. He was the fifth of eight children. His father had been among the founders of the Marshfield Cotton Factory, along with Jonathan Stetson and Jacob Perkins. Nahum attended local schools, finishing with two years at Bridgewater Academy. He then went to work at a mercantile house in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. After about four years, he returned to
Bridgewater in 1825 to work in the store of Lazell, Perkins & Company.
Stetson married for the first time on November 13, 1828 to Sarah Wilson Barstow, of
Pembroke. The couple had five children together, including three sons who live into adulthood: George Barstow, Nahum, Jr. and William Butler. His three sons would follow their father into the employ of the Bridgewater Iron Company. Sarah Stetson died in 1842.
Nahum's second marriage was to Lucy Ann Forester Barstow, sister of Sarah, on July 4, 1843. Together they had five children, three who died in infancy. Stetson married for the third time, on December 5, 1888 to Mary Louise Elliott of Bridgewater.
Career
In 1835, after the death of Nathan Lazell, he was elected treasurer of the company. He set upon expansion of the company, which by then had been incorporated as the
Bridgewater Iron Manufacturing Company. Under Stetson's leadership, the company became one of the largest iron works in the country by about 1860. The company, which specialized in heavy forgings and castings, had the capacity to produce major parts for the warships of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
, which could be produced few other places. The list of ships with parts made at Bridgewater include the
USS Monitor
USS ''Monitor'' was an ironclad warship built for the Union Navy during the American Civil War and completed in early 1862, the first such ship commissioned by the Navy. ''Monitor'' played a central role in the Battle of Hampton Roads on 9 Mar ...
, the
USS New Ironsides and much of the fleet of the
Pacific Mail Steamship Company
The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was founded April 18, 1848, as a joint stock company under the laws of the State of New York by a group of New York City merchants. Incorporators included William H. Aspinwall, Edwin Bartlett (American consul ...
.
Stetson was elected treasurer of the Weymouth Iron Company in 1841. In 1846, he took over control of the Parker Iron Mills (Tremont Iron Works) in
Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham ( ) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 23,303.
History
Wareham was first settled in 1678 by Europeans as part of the towns of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth ...
. In 1847, Stetson was among the incorporators of the Dean Cotton Machine Company in
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...
. He also served as a director of the Bristol County Bank in
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
, as well as the
Taunton Locomotive Manufacturing Company
The Taunton Locomotive Manufacturing Company was one of the earliest firms in the United States established especially for the manufacture of steam locomotives. Located in Taunton, Massachusetts, the company was organized in 1849 and incorporated ...
, which he became president of in 1883, after the death of
Samuel L. Crocker.
In 1854, Stetson purchased the Providence Iron Company, where he served as president until 1874. He was also a director of the
Old Colony Iron Works
The Old Colony Iron Works-Nemasket Mills Complex is a historic industrial site located on Old Colony Avenue in the East Taunton section of Taunton, Massachusetts, United States, adjacent to the Taunton River at the Raynham town line. The site was ...
at
East Taunton
East Taunton is a suburban neighborhood of Taunton, Massachusetts, United States.
Economy
East Taunton is home to Massasoit State Park which offers mountain bike trails, and kayaking and fishing on the park's four main lakes, the largest of whi ...
, and among the original incorporators of the
Fall River Railroad, which provided the first rail connection from the Bridgewater Works to the outside world. Stetson was also involved in the establishment of the
Cape Cod Branch Railroad in 1846, to provide a rail link to the Parker Mills in Wareham. These lines would later become part of the
Old Colony Railroad
The Old Colony Railroad (OC) was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island, which operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, ...
.
Stetson also served Bridgewater as a representative in the
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...
from 1838-39.
In 1871, Stetson, along with a group of investors from
Providence
Providence often refers to:
* Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion
* Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity
* Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
purchased the Mount Hope Iron Works in
Somerset, Massachusetts
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,303 at the 2020 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland (1883–1924), the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel ...
for $120,000, which had been built in 1856 by Job M. Leonard.
The railway times, Volume 23; John A. Haven, 1871
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stetson, Nahum
1807 births
1894 deaths
American manufacturing businesspeople
American railway entrepreneurs
Businesspeople from Massachusetts
American ironmasters
Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
People from Bridgewater, Massachusetts
19th-century American legislators
19th-century American businesspeople